The NHS is said to be accelerating plans to rolls out anti-viral pill that people who have tested positive for coronavirus can take at home.

Molnupiravir, sometimes known as Lagevrio, could be offered to the most vulnerable patients by Christmas, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

Britain became the first country to approve the drug last month and it has been  reported that the health secretary Sajid Javid  is preparing to announce the start of the national pilot for the drug very soon.

The rollout will aim to prevent vulnerable coronavirus patients becoming seriously ill and needing hospital treatment.

Although a timeframe for the start of the programme has not yet been confirmed, it is said that letters have gone out to local health leaders about the planned rollout.

Roll out will start with clinically vulnerable patients

Molnupiravir can be taken by those who have tested positive for COVID and have at least one risk factor for developing severe illness, such as obesity, being over 60, diabetes or heart disease.

The NHS will reportedly deliver courses of the pill to clinically vulnerable and immunosuppressant patients within as little as 48 hours of them testing positive for COVID-19.

Hospital and GP leaders are said to have been told that the health service will be setting up a series of "COVID medicines delivery units" to help get the drug to patients as quickly as possible once they test positive for the virus.

In October, the government announced it had secured 480,000 courses of molnupiravir. This was after a study showed that it reduced the rate of hospital admissions and deaths by 50% in patients with mild to moderate symptoms.

Tyh pill which was developed by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Merck Sharp & Dohme works by interfering with the virus's replication.

It inhibits COVID-19 from multiplying, keeping levels low in the body and ultimately reducing the severity of the disease.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency advises that the drug should be taken as soon as possible following a positive test and within the first five days.